Otway Covered Bridge, Otway Ohio
The Otway Bridge is in a very scenic, hilly area of western Scioto County close to state parks, forests, and lakes. Prior to the construction of the Otway Bridge, a ford was used to cross Scioto Brush Creek. Then, in 1874, the County Commissioners accepted the bid of the Smith Bridge Company of Toledo, Ohio, for the superstructure of the bridge. Nicholas Schakert, a county commissioner, supervised the construction. The masonry work was done by W. H. Wheeler for $2.89 per perch. The nearby Freeman and Thompson Sawmill furnished the lumber for $14.30 per linear foot and local labor was used at $1.10 per day per man. The Smith truss used in this bridge was patented by Robert W. Smith of Tipp City, later Toledo, Ohio in 1869, U. S. Patent #97,714. The Smith truss is an all-wooden truss with no iron rods. Many of the largest and finest covered bridges in Ohio were built on this truss plan. While most of the Smith trusses were built here in Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, associates of Robert W. Smith carried the franchise rights to build this truss type to the West Coast and many Smith trusses were built in California and Oregon. Mr. Smith claimed that the advantages of his truss type were to be found in its strength from the method of bracing, equal distribution of the load, and its lightness and cheapness.
The people of the community of Otway cherish this sturdy old covered bridge which has been a part of the local scene for over a century. Local people built this bridge and their descendants are justifiably proud to see it still standing today. Folklore of the area tells of two weddings held in the bridge and of a daring young man who walked the top chords of the bridge on stilts when it was under construction.
The Otway Community Society for the Preservation of Historic Landmarks, Inc. was organized on February 8, 1960, for the purpose of preserving this old structure that was to be bypassed by the state highway department that same year. On May 9, 1963, the Ohio Historical Society dedicated a historic site marker during ceremonies at the bridge. The Otway Bridge is an excellent example of late 19th-century engineering skills and one of the best Smith trusses left in Ohio.
Bridge Description
The Otway Bridge is a one-span wooden truss covered bridge crossing Scioto Brush Creek at Otway in Scioto County, Ohio. The bridge is 127' long with a 118' 6" clear span and 19' 3" wide overall with a 14' 7" roadway and a 13½' clearance. The abutments are of cut stone laid with mortar. The siding is virgin yellow poplar and the roof is sheet metal. The projected portals have a board and batten finish. There is an 81' steel low truss span on the east end of the bridge that spans what used to be the old mill race of the mill that furnished the lumber for the bridge.
The Otway Bridge is built on the Smith truss plan, type 3. The Smith truss was patented in 1867 and 1869 by Ohioan Robert W. Smith of Toledo, Ohio. In 1869, Smith patented an improvement on his 1867 truss (of which no examples exist today) and this improvement had an open center panel and the braces set at a 45 angle between the 60 counterbraces welded to the top and bottom chords. This patent features the rigidly fastened roof and floor stringers found in Smith's later truss variations that were not patented. The type 3 version of the Smith truss features reinforcement of the center panel with two diagonals, U. S. Patent #97,714, December 7, 1869. The Otway Bridge is a 12-panel Smith, with arches and steel rods added in 1896. The height of the trusses is 15'; the end posts are two 7 x 7's; the top chords are three 6 x 10's; the bottom chords are three 6 x 12's; the diagonals are 8 x 1l's; 7 x 11's; 7 x 10's; 8 x 8's; and 7 x 7's.
The arches are two 4 x 12's set in notches in the abutments. The end panels of the truss are reinforced with four steel rods per panel and the middle trusses are reinforced with two steel rods per panel. These rods are bolted to angled steel plates beneath the lower chord. The floor beams and joists are of hemlock, the trusses and arches are of virgin yellow poplar and the present flooring is 24"x 34" pine strips laid in 1942 (original flooring unknown).
The appearance of this bridge has changed little over the years. The steel span on the east end was built in 1923 to replace an open wooden span. The portals were originally straight and were probably cut back about 1936 when the state assumed ownership of the bridge, but no definite date can be found for this. The portal boards are pine with some oak put in recently when repairs were made. The siding is a soft, weathered grey, always unpainted. The roof was repaired and painted in 1972.
Looking northeast, showing west portal and south side of covered bridge (1973)
Looking north, showing south side of covered bridge (1973)
